I came across a rather interesting
publication called “The Brander.”
According to their ‘About us’ information, “A steady flow of new stories
about brands and their creators, generated by renowned journalists and high-end
photography - that is "The Brander". The independent publication of
Zurich’s branding agency Branders portrays big, small and exclusive brands from
all over the world. Feedback? Yes, please.”
www.thebrander.com
The article caught my eye
and I received authorization to republish it here. The article was written by Franziska Klün with
photographs by Henning Bock, translated by Tessa Pfenninger.
Mr. Bock's photographs appear at the end of the article.
Dr. Kaufmann in the lobby of Leica AG in Solms
Once a revolutionary and a Waldorf
school teacher, now an entrepreneur and a cowboy: Andreas Kaufmann saved iconic
photography brand Leica from going under.Almost ten years ago, Kaufmann,
having come into a significant inheritance, jumped in to save the legendary
camera manufacturer from bankruptcy after the company failed to make the
transition to the digital era. Today, Leica is on expansion course again.
Situated roughly in the middle of the
state of Hessen, about an hour away from Frankfurt am Main, lies an unremarkable
town called Solms, the seat of the company where the stuff of photographers’
dreams is still being made. One hundred years ago, Leica invented the first
small-format 35mm camera, thereby revolutionizing the world of photography.
Since the 1980s, the company has been manufacturing its high-tech products in
these plain, flat-roofed premises with corrugated facades in Solms. Cameras
that Magnum photographer René Burri once described as the most magnificent
shooting equipment in the world. Despite delivery periods of up to 12 months
for one of these iconic devices "Made in Germany," the waiting list
boasts such names as Elizabeth II and Brad Pitt.
To date, however, visitors are still
greeted at Leica with the words: "Please don't be alarmed."
Conditions inside the building are a lot more primitive than might be expected.
The reception area with its over-dimensional silver-colored Leica and shiny
showcases lives up to its representative task, but once you pass through, it is
like traveling back at least two decades in a time warp. Empty vending machines
from a previous era stand about in harshly lit corridors. Through glass
sectioning, employees can be seen working in crowded conditions. Wearing white
lab coats, they sit bent over lenses and cameras. This is where the famous
devices are made, with a single camera potentially costing as much a brand new
VW Golf.
Back to the roots
Soon, however, the workforce will be
leaving Solm with its cramped conditions and depressing corridors. A new
production site is being built in Wetzlar, only ten kilometers away. Next year,
one department after the other, a total of 1,500 employees, will be relocated
to the large production complex in Wetzlar, back to where it all began. Wetzlar
is where, in 1913, Oskar Barnack, the head of development, invented the
small-format 35mm camera and helped the company, named Leitz in those days,
achieve global fame.
Leading the way back to this hallowed
location is 60-year-old Andreas Kaufmann, who is so busy he doesn't even have
an office in Solms. He lives in Salzburg, Austria, and is always on the go,
which is why arranging a meeting with him here in Solms can easily take up to
six months. Kaufmann is Chairman of the Board of Directors at Leica and
currently owns 55% of the company. In 2004, when he bought into the company, it
was teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. Asked about this period, Kaufmann
says: "I reached a point in life where I asked myself: Do I want to remain
a teacher forever, or should I start doing something with the legacy I was
entrusted with?"
First revolutionize the world, then
save Leica
In his previous life, before Kaufmann
rescued this important protagonist of photographic history from ruin, he says
his main objective in life was to revolutionize the world. In his student days,
Kaufmann studied political science, economics and literature, and wore his hair
long. He continued dabbling in politics and was present at the founding of the
Grüne Partei (The Greens), a green political party founded in the early 1980s
in West Germany. He also taught at a Waldorf school for 15 years.
Kaufmann and his two brothers were
left a large inheritance by their aunt. While nobody knows the exact figures,
the inheritance was large enough for the brothers to form a holding called ACM
with the purpose of becoming stakeholders in undercapitalized German companies,
prioritizing those that manufactured in Germany. Leica numbered among those
companies.
To be sure, Leica’s problems were
entirely self-inflicted. Right until the Kaufmann brothers became stakeholders
in 2004, the company managers in Hessen believed that the digitalization of the
camera industry was a passing phase they could ride out. Despite having some
revolutionary ideas in their portfolio that might have saved them, Leica
completely failed to make the transition to digitalization until the year 2006.
Under Andreas Kaufmann's aegis, and at a time when cell phones featuring
integrated cameras were already quite common, Leica introduced its first
digital camera. It took three long years before the turnaround could be
declared successful: Since 2009 Leica has been operating in the black. At
present, their turnover has achieved almost 300 million euros and some 140,000
cameras leave the manufacturing location in Solms annually. A long and winding
road: Apparently Kaufmann’s brothers soon found the road too rocky, and in 2005
they sold their shares. Something Kaufmann doesn't comment on. In retrospect,
some say the first phase was sheer madness or a kamikaze mission. Kaufmann
himself says: "It was an act of faith."
He believed in Leica, because he
believed in the people behind Leica. He says: “What the skeptics didn't see at
the time was that we were dealing with highly qualified, extremely committed
people who would really be able to achieve something if they were given the
opportunity to do so." Kaufmann provided another massive cash injection.
At one point he owned 96.5% of the company. Wasn't he ever worried he would end
up losing everything?
I'm not afraid to live. Our destiny
is in God's hands, so you might as well have a little faith and stop worrying.
And he certainly appears to be very
laid-back: Wearing a loosely fitting suit and dark glasses, he exudes high
spirits. People who know Kaufmann well say he gives himself no airs and that he
is an extremely genuine person. Even under pressure, like on this autumn
afternoon, after having traveled long and far by car and plane, with lots of
delays, nothing is too much trouble for him. Would you mind answering our
questions while you're being photographed, is that okay with you, Mr. Kaufmann?
– Sure, no problem, he says, and smiles. He replies in lucid, well-turned phrases
and follows the photographer's instructions cheerfully. And despite being
pressed for time, he asks some questions about the lenses in use. After all,
Kaufmann is a passionate amateur photographer.
When asked about the inheritance his
aunt left to him and his brothers, he tells us how they were prepared for it
from an early age. "We were raised very frugally. That had a strong impact
on how we view money." They received 5 euros pocket money that was all.
"People who don't maintain an especially costly standard of living take
risks more easily. After all, if things go wrong, you're still alive. So
really, money is only a means to an end, a facilitating instrument for my
interests." Kaufmann also feels that getting up every morning in order to
fight another round to keep Leica on the successful path of the past few years
is in part for his aunt.
The capital I inherited was never
intended to be spent on consumer goods. It was always clear that it should be
invested in business, should be handled in a responsible manner.
Can Kaufmann imagine a life today
without Leica, without working? "In our family we say: Cowboys die in
their boots." To him, Leica is a long-term project that he will never tire
of. In any case, lazing at the Côte d'Azur is not his idea of fun; working
makes him much happier. "Retirement is not for me." And then it's
time for him to leave again, back to Frankfurt where he has a pressing dinner
engagement. With a final cheery smile, he gets into his car and drives off.
I have mentioned on several occasions
that one reason for the superior quality of Leica equipment is the fact that it
is mostly hand made. The Leica bench
made process is totally without any assembly line work. This allows for the various assembly steps to
be accompanied by immediate checks and rechecks, something that is impossible
to do with assembly line work. The pictures
in the Branders article clearly show the total absence of any assembly line,
that the equipment is totally hand assembled on individual desks in clean rooms throughout the factory.
From my own visits to the factory I can attest that quality and quality control during each step in the manufacture and assembly of Leica cameras and lenses is paramount at Leica. No part, assembly or sub assembly will ever go to the next step in the production unless they met the rather high quality standards set by Leica. That, combined with tolerances much tighter than those applied by other camera and lens manufacturers assure the superior quality of anything with the Leica name.
For the original article go to: http://www.thebrander.com/article.php?o=683
It looks very inefficient and time consuming the way these cameras are being made.
ReplyDeleteTime consuming - definitely. Inefficient - compared to what? Compared to mass production on assembly lines, yes. It is simply a case of a different philosophy at Leica, one that assures that their equipment is as good as possible. That cannot be done with mass production. subsequently, the two cannot be compared. However compared to other companies with the same philosophy, Leica is as efficient as the best of them.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't Leica be able to sell more equipment at lower prices if they were to change to different production methods? Their way of doing things seems to be rather outdated.
ReplyDeleteYes, but then the Leica would also lose its soul, it would diminish to nothing more than a camera among cameras. The one aspect of Leica cameras that has always set them apart from the competition is the overall quality, quality that can only be achieved with the much tighter tolerances and production methods they apply. Mass production simply is incapable of that. In view of that, their way of doing things certainly is far from being outdated.
ReplyDelete